Being Discouraged A Hundred Of Times Is Not Enough Of A Reason To Quit: Fashion Blogger Story of Life To Lauren

Looking to become a fashion blogger, a fashion stylist or a fashion influencer? You’ve come to the right place!

“The first year was definitely the hardest, and there were hundreds of times that I felt discouraged and demotivated. What kept me going was that I refused to fail or quit.”

Thinking of quitting is normal whenever we’re faced with obstacles that we “believe” is insurmountable. All we have to do is to just step back, and find a way to tackle these challenges. Scroll down below to read more about Lauren’s story and her advice to the future influencers!

How should we call you, and how long have you been a stylist/blogger/influencer? Do you remember the year you started?

Hi there! My name is Lauren Smith (Lauren is just fine – lol), and I have been a fashion and lifestyle blogger for the blog: Life To Lauren since July 2015.

Do you have a specific style?

I would say classic with a hint of edge. I love trying new styles with each seasons trend but always seem to give it that classic touch. My style is also very influenced by my surroundings.

What advocated you to become a blogger or an influencer? Was there anything in particular that happened which triggered you to become one? Did you see something or someone online, or was it because of your avid interest for fashion?

When I graduated from college, I landed a job as the Marketing Director for a small company in Houston. It was a great company that allowed me to travel the world, but was in a less than glamorous industry. I desperately needed an outlet. In between work, I would read blogs, “DIY” my home, give fitness advice to friends, style outfits and try out beauty products on my own. I always talked about starting my own blog (even in college) and after a year of my boyfriend (now fiancé) hearing my constantly talk about it, pushed me to start one!

Did you start with social medias then made a site? Or did you start off using a website along with the social medias?

I started off with a site and then added social media. Each influencer is different, but my main focus was to be a blogger first and a social media influencer second. Social media is what will drive your blog, but my main focus has always been to make my blog my home base for my readers.

Which website are you using for your blog (WordPress, Blogspot, etc.)? Do you have a reason as to why you prefer it?

When I started my blog, I kind of jumped right into it without a ton of research. I think I googled “How to start a blog” and the first one that popped up was WordPress, so that’s what I chose!

Which social medias did you utilize in the beginning? Why did you think that it was the best medium to use? Which was beneficiary in terms of reaching your audience?

Definitely Facebook and Instagram. I know that you’re thinking “Facebook?”, but I swear it is what gave me the biggest reach. Instagram is great but a picture can only tell so much and people are not always inclined to read your caption nor repost your picture. Facebook on the other hand though reached my high school friends, their friends, my college friends, family and etc. They were all able to share my posts to help get my reach farther, which ultimately helped launch my site the most.

Do you use more social medias now in comparison to when you started? If so, which social medias have you added?

Definitely. In the past few months, I have been really focusing on Pinterest, Snapchat and Insta stories. Snapchat and Insta stories are both so great because readers get to hear the voice and see the real face behind the photos. It’s very real.

How often do you post on your social medias when you first started? Was there a specific time you thought best to post?

At the beginning, probably once a day. Now I try to post at least twice. Before the algorithm change happened on Instagram, I would post first thing in the morning or before going to sleep. Now it’s all just very complicated.

What camera were you using when you started? Did you have a photographer or were the photos taken by yourself? Could you compare the quality of the photos from when you started to how it is now?

When we first started, we were only using my fiancés iPhone, so yes, there is a major difference in our photos from then, as compared to now! We currently use a Canon DSLR camera with a fixed 1.4 lens.

Was there a specific blog post or social media post which made you go “Wow!” due to the amount of likes, follows and/or interactions it received?

Pretty much every single post pertaining to my wedding or Colton (my fiancé) but in all realness, there was one post I did at the very beginning that definitely made me say “WOW!”

Fitness and health are a major part of my platform, and the day I posted “My Fitness Journey”, I couldn’t even comprehend the amount of hits my site was getting. It was very overwhelming, but in a good way!

How was your first year of becoming an influencer? Plenty of others have insinuated the first year as challenging, for any business in fact. Was there ever a point you felt it wouldn’t work and felt demotivated?

The first year was definitely the hardest, and there were hundreds of times that I felt discouraged and demotivated. What kept me going was that I refused to fail or quit. I had put so much effort and energy into it and I wasn’t about to let all of that hard work go to waste.

As an influencer, there ought to be plenty of times you were contacted for a collaboration, do you recall the first time you were sponsored by a brand?

Yes! I was sponsored my Sintilla! They are a sunglasses accessory brand, perfect for the beach & summertime.

Upon receiving an item from the brand, how did you feel? For many bloggers, that must have been such an achievement! Did you celebrate when it happened?

It was a huge achievement! I couldn’t believe that finally, a brand wanted me to represent them. It was very cool.

Any advice for our future influencers/bloggers/stylists? Do you have a few words to keep them motivated or inspired?

Just keep going. I know that sounds cliché, but I remember reading an article where it said that 75% of “bloggers” quit or fail during their first year. I refused to become a part of that statistic.

Finally, do you have a personal motivational quote which never fails to motivate you whenever you are feeling demotivated?

“Failure is not the worst thing in the world – the very worst thing is not to try.” – anonymous